Tonight, the Aftermath is back with a new episode.
I am on a short vacation with friends — including the Headley’s and Smith-Levin’s and our combined 8 children (only one of whom is visible in this shot, our son Jack, but three others are taking this shot, one with camera and two holding “camera lights” directed by Marc Headley).
We will all be tweeting tonight. Unfortunately, we are in the Central Time Zone so will be an hour behind the East Coast to watch it on TV but will tweet live starting at 9 EST.
This episode, like all the rest, was informative, heartbreaking, and maddening…all at the same time. Children being treated like slaves, with no dignity at all, even by their own families – there’s just no words for how horrible it is. I often wonder why so many people in law enforcement are afraid to kick down Miscavige’s door, and make him answer for all this garbage. Because if anything’s more disturbing than Scientology itself, the apathy of others with the power to stop it definitely qualifies.
As for your question in the car Mike, at the very end (“What were we a part of?”), there’s a very simple answer – Satan. No other theories or suggestions; just the devil himself and those who listen to him. There’s a quote often attributed to the movie “The Usual Suspects”, but in fact was originally coined by French poet Charles Baudelaire – “The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.” As such, I think a more accurate term for Hubbard’s work would be Satantology; its built on theft, destruction, abuse, and possibly murder.
Yet again I am amazed at the strength and fortitude of those who have left the COS. Both Tara and Nathan should be completely impressed with themselves. They had the strong sense of self to know that they did not agree with what was being shoved down their throats and they fought back. They survived.
Nathan, should feel no shame for his last words to his mother. Although, it is hard to take and he feels responsible for being “bad”, he should not. It was his mothers responsibility to protect, care for and nurture him. She did not one of those things. She loved him in the best way she knew how, through Scientology and she made those choices. Those choices have consequences. Those consequences involve anger from her child. I am sure that in her last moments she understood and forgave. How could she not? Don’t let those words haunt you Nathan. I am a mother and if I treated my children, the way she treated you, I would expect those words to come at me. PLUS, I have two teenagers, so I get some statements from them, that I know they don’t mean. It is my job to understand that as their parent.
Having said that. The tuition is astounding!!! Private boarding school in Ontario, Canada costs about $50-70 K a year. That involves schools that have horses, pools, sailing, 4 meals a day, comfortable rooms to live in and hot showers. Certainly clean water at the very least. Some involve hard labour, but it is limited to 1 hour and is pretty basic; like laundry. So my question is………where did all that money go???? I mean you weren’t fed, showered, clothed etc. PLUS you were doing all the work. Another abuse of the COS, aside from the obvious.
Tara and Nathan should hold their heads high. Find strength in their adversity. Speak out against the COS to help protect those still in and those dealing with past traumas like yours. You are doing all those things. You are both very impressive people. Thank you for sharing your story, there is certainly no shame in doing so.
I think you need a new disclaimer at the beginning of your show that says “please have tissues handy”. I just want to hug Tara and Nathan and reiterate that it’s NOT YOUR FAULT…that’s just horrible going through life thinking that you were to blame for the way you are being treated or had been treated. That is an awful burden to carry and I hope that they can let that go and put the blame where it really deserves to be which is on their parents and Scientology. And the disclaimer that they put up saying they had no idea what was going on in those schools and ranches is ludicrous. At the bottom of all of their scheduled activity posters is the disclaimer that all of the words and phrases that have to do with Scientology are used with permission and are licensed by the Church of Scientology and if you are that paranoid that people are going to use those words without the churches permission I think you would know what a school and ranch that has control over children would be doing on your behalf. That statement just made you look more idiotic than ever. I wish Tara and Nathan and everybody who has come out the very best and I hope they can feel the love and support that they should’ve had before being sent from us now. I could not listen to the audio tape of poor Marco that made me sick to my stomach and tell Leah not to worry about her make up because I think she wanted to cry the entire time just like the rest of us. I think both her and Mike were shellshocked just like we all were and were blindsided by how deep the darkness goes. I wish I could go to that family center and yank all of those kids out of there and smack their parents upside the head and ask them “what the heck do you think you’re doing?” The sheer desperation and hopelessness of these children makes you want to grab them and run.
Thanks for sharing your stories,they all need to be heard, it’s beyond criminal, I can’t wait for the day when D.M.is in handcuffs,all of them,this has got to stop,
Do they not realize nobody watches their pow videos,Marty Rathbun chiming in stuttering, I hit skip and I don’t have to listen,he looks sad OK OK I have a big heart,after Mike Marty was my favorite,how sad he’s sold out,
Why isn’t the national news picking up on this? This MATTERS,
Dave,
Breaking News Update:
Weinstein is just a preview of what YOUR meltdown will look like. Your Mark tried to orchestrate his own meltdown but merely went out with a whimper. Sad.
This latest episode about the Mace-Kingsley ranches was hugely disturbing. My heart goes out to those kids. Kudos to Nathan for making the best of a bad situation and being successful in his career, good job! There should be no regret about your mother; she made her decisions and if she were still here, it’s entirely possible she would be still in, and disconnected from you. Just live your life as best you can… heartfelt wishes to both Nathan and Tara, thank you for sharing your stories.. may this never happen again to kids.
Hi Mike, don’t know if anyone here has mentioned that Tara has a gofundme page, up since last night, she’s trying to raise $15,000 for a fresh start in Austin for herself and her two kids. Tony Ortega posted the link on his site, and the total raised is near $12,000 already!
https://www.gofundme.com/HelpTaraReile
Would it be a surprise if her own father tries to get back the $150,00 Tara “owes him” from the time she spent away in “camp”….i.e. the gulag of child labor, child abuse, child neglect.
It’s already over 14,000!
Dave,
Exposure Update:
Have you and your Joker put each other on Suicide Watch; like the FBI on Weinstein?
OMG! Mike! Every week, the stories get worse and worse. I yell at my tv, literally. I don’t know how parents can just give away their kids or abandon them. It makes me sick that the FBI is doing nothing to stop this insanity! In the meantime, people are suffering, people are dying, children are abused. I can only pray that something will be done. Thank you and Leah so much for exposing this CULT!
This episode was heartbreaking, infuriating, and sickening. So, job well done I guess, but damn. Mike’s pre-emptive strike against the inevitable CoS whining did give me a little smile though, thanks for that.
Tara has a gofundme page set up to help get her family to a better place, if anyone wishes to chip in, every little bit helps. Link at underground bunker in today’s (Oct 11) main post.
I want to elaborate on my earlier post.
Just had another thought. It strikes me how compassionate and forgiving a lot of exes become.
I’m referring to Nathan talking about what he would say to his Mom if she were still alive. No $cientologst would ever say such a nice thing about their so-called “SP” kids or anyone else in their family — even after they have died. It’s just disgusting.
I’d very much like to rent some large projectors and screens and place them on buildings adjacent to some of the more significant $cientology bases, and have them play this season’s episodes. Especially this most recent one. The level of abuse condoned and encouraged by this cult is just off the charts. It’s truly infuriating, and that so many members won’t even ‘confront’ reality and watch an episode because it’s enthenta is just beyond the pal. You can’t fix a problem if you aren’t even willing to hear about it, much less discuss it.
After I watched this episode I was stunned. How the fuck they managed to built a children GULAG? Who were people who were working their? How much money did they made, and how much money did they uplined to the church?
Crazy bastards.
Ps I took introduction to Scientology ethics from my shelf after this episode and was crushed, all this shit was just their all the time, but I saw it in totally different way.
Insane green book.
These schools that use the LRH study and ethics tech are required to send 10% of their income to one of the churches front groups which then also sent a percent to management – their local CLO. The field auditors – same thing.
Well, tuition was $30,000 per kid per year…
Oh geezers… that’s one of the more disturbing things I’ve ever seen. I spent some of my childhood & youth at boarding college in the country away from family and eventually did time in the army. I know what systems are like to control children and how the systems react to disobedience and it can be pretty gruesome as you either toughen up or suffer the consequences. In such systems a type of Lord of the Flies mentality can sometimes fester too, a type of bully controlled pecking order behind the scenes often develops and compounds into another living hell for those that can’t defend themselves. But those Scientology camps are hideous beyond belief and are “intentionally created” excuses for the insane to vent their own irrational behaviour off on children. Their cruelty is beyond comprehension – I would love to be alone with those security guards and the people in charge of such places. Just give me 5 minutes alone with those cretins and I guarantee they’ll never harm another child or anyone else ever again. As to the parents who send their children to such places… yeah, I’ve got time for you too.
Scientology has and is a wickedly dark sided cult. You’ve got guts Leah & Mike to confront that type of stuff. I feel for your production people having to learn of this too as part of their work, what an ugly experience for them. Well done to you all, you’re making the world a better place.
Fuck, I’m angry!
Wish I could upvote this about 10 Times.
Well said. I hope you get your 5 minutes. They are so deserving of such a fate. Unfortunately I don’t think that will happen. All that can be done is what Leah & Mike have done, bring it to light and hope the lazy bought off authorities get off their collective asses and DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hubbard wrote it so “all Scientologists” believe it and follow it. How many exes here treated their own children that way?
If that defines a being a Scientologist – then I never was one!
Richard,
Jim here: negative
My ex- a true believer: Absolutely
Richard, I left to get my young children away from it.
Such a sad and painful episode to watch. My heart breaks for the children trapped in this cult. Yet, it is so beautiful to look at the photo you posted, Mike, of the families and their kids on vacation together. I hope and pray each of you are able to enjoy rest and fun together.
A word to Tara: I wish I could give you a squeezy hug right now. I am praying your heart and soul get healed from the devastating wounds of abuse and neglect. Of course you have done bad things. So have I. I have done horrible things to others and myself. Yet, you and I have value despite bad things we have done. You are a valuable person. You are loved by your Creator, loved beyond words. You are beautiful. Blessings all over your life. Thank you for speaking up for those children still suffering and abused In Scientology. I pray for healing of your family relationships. I pray for healthy replacements of lost relationships.
A word to Nathan: As a mom of boys, my heart was shredded to hear of a son so neglected and abandoned. I also wish I could give you a squeezy hug and tell you what a wonderful man you’ve become. I am so amazed at what you have overcome. What a painful yet remarkable story you have lived. I pray your heart and soul get healed. I pray blessings all over your life. Thank you for exposing the truth of the abuses. Thank you for doing the scary, hard work of pushing through the fear and pain to speak up.
To Tara and Nathan: this lady speaks for me as well. Praying you meet more good people who would want to help you heal and know you are valued so very much. Blessings to you both!
heartbreaking show. a note for the producers: please turn down the music, those emotions carry the scenes by themselves, the music distracts from that.
Agree 100%. It’s a constant battle.
I really wish this show had ZERO of that “dramatic background music” stuff. It doesn’t need it. In my view, it’s disrespectful of the speakers. And the cheesiness is at odds with the seriousness of the subject matter.
Turning a blind eye to what was happening to these children I thought was an anomaly within the church of scientology. Allowing parents to take no responsibility for their children and turn them over to this horrible place is inexcusable but was condoned by the powers that be in the church because these “parents” were doing scientology. This church will micromanage your life to your death to ensure you are doing scientology courses or auditing and/or giving money and be damned anybody that gets in their way or reduces the church’s income by upsetting the lives of those that give the money.
This is the scientology technology. Those that turn a blind eye to the abuses going on are “applying” scientology technology. A child turning against his parents, a parent turning against their children, friends turning against friends are applying scientology technology. Scientologists allowing david miscavige to beat up his staff are applying scientology technology. NOT reading “entheta” or anything that allows one’s mind to think negatively about the church of scientology is applying scientology technology. It is scientology technology that says the church is all and the individual be damned.
If you start to think differently than this, than you have started on your way out of the church of scientology. I’m out but I’m still working on a mindset that justified a lot of the abuses because there is “good in it.”
Mary…there is never any justification for emotional, physical, sexual abuse of another human being….ever…. You, yourself, have given testimony to this and is one of my favorite and emotionally moving episodes. I get that it is still challenging to re-map and re-wire your mind-set but one way you do this is by establishing a new value system…one that honors the rights (which you define and is how you define your own) of others, respects differences, and compassionately mentors when others make mistakes.
When a “church” foster’s an environment of abuse, belittling, humiliation, degradation, manipulation, and theft as this cult has done, then they offer nothing to humanity but pain and suffering.
Let go of the guilt, Mary, and embrace a new value system. One you can live with and find peace with.
Hugs!
I don’t feel as guilty as my comment reads, although I certainly know the part I played. I was mainly talking about what it entails to be a scientologist these days.
Mary, I completely understand why you and anyone else who previously has donated their time, money, and their entire life to the abuses of Scientology now feel guilt, along with a host of other emotions I’m sure. That being said, for what it’s worth, in my own, outsider’s opinion, what matters is that you have realized the evil, the lies, the hoax of faith that you were involved in and are now speaking out about the abuses that go on within Scientology, and you are now trying to end these abuses. And to me, this phase of your life is far more important and impactful on the world than the prior. And I thank you and all other former Scientologists for what you are now truly doing for the good of mankind, it means so much more to humanity than anything else you may have done.
I think the Jenna Miscavige book was also good for exposing the Scientology Child Gulag. You’re right-how could anybody just abandon their kids like that?
we continually see is the statement “The Church Challenges the Credibility…..blah blah blah”…..”The church denies disconnection etc etc. …….The church will NOT send someone……ANYONE …..to support the “challenge statement” we continually see.
Literally folks…I don’t mean to be rude but WTF???? They have all these spokes people….Hello, Pat Harney???? YOU asked for the name of the A & E Aftermath “responsible person”….YOU got your answer yet YOU REFUSED to tell him your name, why is that….are YOU ashamed to be part of this organization?
These then young ones hurt by being sent to “camp”…..a seemingly slave labor camp with reported limited food available, forced manual labor for CHILDREN, no real education sitting behind a desk learning Science, Math, English, Geography…..oh wait…forget History…..the organization only wants them to know about COS & LRH & down the road Xenu. Paddling children with a thick block of wood doesn’t correct inappropriate behavior, it’s child abuse. Not feeding, providing health care, education, a secure loving environment for them is child neglect. Withholding parental love from a child, well we’ve seen what that’s done to Tara & Nathan & many others who’ve been raised in this sick “society”.
.
Being abandoned by their biological parent(s) to be raised by an organization that views children as “beings who are adults in little bodies” is beyond the normal comprehension of most people. However, THIS is what the organization mandates for it’s own parishioners & staff that these are not “trainable dogs”, but mini adults who should be treated that way, i.e. there ARE no children.
To see the total look of shock on Mike’s face…it’s as if he were NOT in the upper ranks part of COS at all, those on the inside don’t know any of this was going on within their own “religion”. Leah also totally shocked & it’s more than appropriate to hear Mike, Lean & several others say: WHAT WERE WE PART OF????
Seemingly unbeknownst to them…part of a CULT OF ABUSE, LIES, finger pointing, & cover ups…..
The Ranches is the one of the most powerful episodes to date. It really shows the depths of LRH mental illness as his imaginary ‘research’ leads him to such conclusions as ‘children are not dogs, thus they must be small adults’. Heck, the dogs would have gotten better treatment…
A curious juxtaposition exists when one looks at the happy group at the beginning of this page and compares it with any screenshot from ‘The Ranches’ showing a group of those children at work at Mace-Kingsley. The SP group which consists of Mike R., et al, – are clean, nicely dressed, smiling and appearing very glad to be there enjoying the company. A screenshot from Ranches would show ill-dressed, unhappy children, with dirty hands and arms from there work, appearing to be unhappy even when only in the company of their peers.
I am gratified to think Scientology is a dying cult. Unfortunately, the death of Scn has been announced since the sixties, I think, and it is now more wealthy than ever. Scientology as a corporation has assets which could keep itself going for generations more. These assets include large cash reserves (hundreds of millions, maybe even billions in cash and real estate), a large income from services (at least counting Flag and the cruise ship), and large fees paid to Scn-related outfits like Narcanon and Mace-Kingsley). , Then there are the human assets, including a hard core of top level LRH-tech-bots who will never turn on Scientology, at least not until Scientology turns on them.
Let’s hope that’s not true..Miscavige is concerned about himself alone. He will take all $$$$ in the end.
Aftermath is waking up alot of people now
Its Season 2. Can’t wait for the 3rd. .
Scientology really needs a catastrophe for LRH’s birthday. Something like Miscavige awaiting deposition in a holding cell concerning the RICO act being fully applied to the Scientology Corporation with all their assets frozen. Nice thought hey?
I would like to see an IRS investigation and have them repeal the designation as a religion directive. I think that would have the single most devastating effect because then they would have to pay taxes on all of that real estate. I can’t wait for the day when they declare bankruptcy and all of their building go up on the auction block
Gail, best to stick to what can happen. The IRS cannot revoke the religious designation. No one can.
DO work on getting them busted for not really being a not for profit corporation.
Scientology is “real estate” wealthy, but I don’t believe that many people judge the wealth, or more appropriately the importance and influence of a religion by how many empty buildings they own around the world. To have influence on the world, a religion must have parishioners, a “church” must have a congregation. And with Scientology truly down to having a measly 20,000 or so members worldwide, they can own as many empty buildings as they want to buy. Empty buildings can’t speak, empty buildings cannot have an influence on the world. This is a fact that David Miscavige is well aware of, and I’m sure it eats at his paranoid, schizophrenic mind every second of the day. And this is what makes Scientology very, very poor.
Mike, you be sure to enjoy yourself. Me, I’m enjoying myself despite working like a dog because we won Economics this year, but I’m still keeping the people trapped in this devious, perverted cult in mind. When I find the time, I’ll binge-watch the last four or so episodes. When is a long flight not available when I need one?
How does an adult treat the helpless who are under their care & protection? THAT is a measure of how ethical they are.
Hubbard and many of his followers fail the ethics test.
Wynski, I couldn’t agree more. The helpless – be they very young or old, or the sick. Also subordinates who depend upon you for their livelihood; also pets.
I hate to remind us that child abuse occurs outside of the cult, as well. There are a great many individuals walking this planet who would fail ethics tests….and morality tests…and compassion tests…and basic human kindness tests…parenting tests….I could go on but it’s depressing.
This is very true, but we can only stop the child abuse that we’re aware of my friend. If you were to walk down the street and pass a person who physically, psychologically, or sexually abuses children, you’d have no idea, otherwise you would call the authorities to report that person the minute you saw him, right? So the question now becomes why in the hell are we allowing child abuse THAT WE ARE FULLY AWARE OF AND HAVE PROOF OF to go on indefinitely, like it doesn’t even matter?
Last night’s episode just killed me. I’m still reeling from it. That audiotape of Wally Hanks screaming and beating a child had me weeping, as did Nathan’s account of being scrubbed with a goddam wire brush, and the end when he cried while talking about what he would say to his Mom if she were still alive.
Tara’s story broke my heart as well. The two of them are beyond lucky to have grown into smart, successful adults who made it in life.
Fuck you Hubbard. And fuck you Miscavige.
Very disturbing, all the episodes on Aftermath. I am so glad these stories are going out to the world (of A&E and online watchers). The problem is getting die-hards to view even just ONE episode. They won’t even look. So much for that famous Scientology ‘confront’. LOL.
“So much for that famous Scientology ‘confront’. LOL.”
KKat, it is amazing. In my experience, some of the lowest confront I’ve ever observed has emanated from very upper Bridge Scientogists who passed themselves off as “Operating Thetans” while studiously avoiding any discussing, reading or viewing of that which would upset their preconceived opinions. There was this huge disconnect between their speech and concept of themselves and their actual behavior. If I would apologize for bringing up a point that caused upset, I would hear something like this: “Don’t apologize. I’m Clear. I cannot be upset or restimulated”. They believed this, apparently. Yet they DID get upset, observedly. Not only was their confront on a number of subjects extremely low and their desire to avoid these subjects obvious, but they also had health and finance issues. In the back of my mind was always the thought: “How can they have such an unwillingness to even discuss ______plus be unhealthy and pinned to their first dynamic and still, somehow, BE OT? What does being OT REALLY mean, then?”
For years I grappled with this question, which was moot because at no time did I ever have the money to go OT anyway for all those years. Now I have the money, or I could get it, and I’m thank God OUT.
On this blog are ex-Scientologist OTs who walked the walk of being OTs.
From THEM do I now have a very good concept of what “OT” actually means.
KKat I am so glad you posted this, because I’m having such frustration with the hypocrisy of Scientology that exists within every single one of their policies and procedures, and their ideology of “CONFRONTATION” is only one of these hypocrisies, but it’s a big one. Scientologists are not allowed to CONFRONT anything or anyone, unless it has to do with something going on within the “church” or one of it’s members! David Miscavige, their self-proclaimed “Pope” has never confronted a single accusation or allegation against him. Instead, Miscavige allows himself to completely ignore one policy of Scientology by replacing it with another (DON’T DEFEND, ATTACK!), and somehow this allows him to justify letting the first policy go.
I’m sorry, I’ve often tried to seriously educate myself on the teachings of Hubbard and Scientology and study the policies and procedures, but it’s completely futile to try and understand them because it’s all a huge cluster of hypocrisies, tiny manipulative inserts and asides added purposely by Hubbard to cover any and all situations that may arise and bring even a shred of doubt to the parishioner, and explanations that favor only the wallet of the “church” at the total detriment of the parishioner. And then as an added bonus you find out that the entire basis for this “religion”, every little building-block on which Dianetics was created, they are all complete exaggerations, creations from the mind of a science-fiction author, and flat-out lies. The only education I have ever gained by researching the history and the policies and procedures of Dianetics and Scientology is a totally complete and intensely compassionate understanding of how very moral, ethical, and intelligent people end up allowing themselves to be taken advantage of by this “church”, and how these loving people with strongly bonded families are literally and purposely manipulated into suddenly living every aspect of their lives for only Scientology and nothing else. L. Ron Hubbard was an incredibly prolific author, and simply through his years of non-stop writing he learned how to intimately structure every policy, every process and procedure, every single word he wrote was written only to manipulate the reader’s lives and prey upon any and all doubts they have about themselves. This is what we all need to sympathetically understand whenever we inevitably keep coming back to the same question we all have: “How does anyone allow themselves to become a part of Scientology? How could anyone hand over all of their money, their entire lives, their own children to this greedy cult?”
L. Ron Hubbard was a seriously mentally ill man, and he knew it. He was aware of his narcissism, his paranoia, and his depression. He was also an extremely creative, intelligent man who crafted every action he took and every word he wrote to benefit himself. He desperately wanted to treat his own delirium, and I can only guess that his narcissism told him that the only person in the world who would be able to help someone as disturbed as he was would be himself. It’s a dangerous combination, narcissism, paranoia, intelligence, and creativity, and so while developing a treatment plan to cure his own mental illness he of course found a way for his “treatment plan” to not only cure his own mental illness, but to also make him wealthy. And make no mistake, every word Hubbard ever wrote regarding Scientology was written to capture his prey. His creativity made it possible for Hubbard to take the doubts that people had within themselves and the misfortunes they had experienced throughout their lives, and turn this humanity of his readers into money in his own pocket. Never before have I ever read an entire body of work by one author where every single word was purposely and maliciously written with one sole purpose: to PERSUADE, MANIPULATE, and CONTROL the reader in every aspect of their lives, and where the only end goal of this PERSUASION, MANIPULATION, AND CONTROL of the reader by the author was to acquire the reader’s money throughout the remainder of their lives.
The total lack of empathy and total disregard for the welfare of fellow human beings is absolutely astounding to me. The more books I read, the more documentaries I watch, and with every episode of this television show that presents a new ex-Scientologist that is courageous enough to describe not only the abuses they endured at the hands of David Miscavige and the “church” of Scientology but also their own intentional participation in the abuses, the better I understand how people can voluntarily throw away their families, their friends, their careers and money, all of their time and basically their entire lives to the Hoax of Faith that is Scientology.
The stories that you and Leah have shown this season have certainly been disturbing. An alternate name for the series could be: “Scientology: It’s Far Worse Than We Realized”.
Thank you for giving a voice to those who for so long had no voice. It is important that they be heard.
The more I read about Scientology the more I am convinced that Hubbard, despite being charismatic and certainly something of an evil genius, was a deeply disturbed individual seriously in need of psychiatric or psychological treatment.
LRH needed to be incarcerated. DM will be.
Hope he accepts visitors.
I think Scientology’s motto has been Scientology: It’s Always Worse Than You Think for a while now.
link to the episode
https://rutube.ru/video/2d07c9d19a7e8f7734ff73172c65c26f/?pl_id=1306538&pl_type=user
Thank you all the way from SE Asia, Victor!
Thanks for the link, Victor. We can’t watch it on TV for reasons I won’t bore anyone with, so I appreciate the rutube reference.
Thanks Victor
Oh mike u all look terrific!!! Enjoy your vacation – much needed I’m sure…
You meant EDT, not EST.
I don’t think est is around anymore.
I just completed viewing tonight’s episode. Tara & Nathan’s stories are vile. Though, at this point, nothing is surprising me anymore. However, the worst stories are the abuses of children when the parents are complicit.
Tara & Nathan are survivors of horrible circumstances and experiences that they should have been protected from by the very people, their parents, who’s main responsibility is ensuring safety and security. Tara & Nathan are NOT to blame for any of this. The responsibility falls on the cult and their parents. And, as a society that prides ourselves on protecting the most vulnerable among us, we are to blame, as well.
Tara & Nathan….I hope you read this…..As a society, I am so sorry we failed to protect you. I am so sorry we were so irresponsible that you got lost in the system and we didn’t realize that you were stolen from us. I’m so sorry that you EVER felt abandoned and forgotten. Please forgive us….we didn’t know. Your courage to come forward and share your abuse by this cult and your parents will save many others. I am in awe of your courage, your spirit to overcome, and your personal growth and success despite the atrocities. You have inspired many….Hugs!
Why not try lobbying your members of government to ensure all children under the age of 16 are being educated under US laws. It seems other religious cults are also keeping their children trapped by not allowing them access to education. Work from within the system. An educated workforce is a strong nation.
Karen, the various gov agencies in the US LONG ago abandoned ensuring that children receive an education. They have boiled it down to police patrolled, wire enclosed day care facilities. I ran a business for a couple of decades. Recently retired. It became increasingly difficult to fine High School grads who could read and even a 10 year old level and could do double digit multiplication.
Yes, I was stunned at the literacy level two, 40+ year sons of a good friend of mine who have problems with the simplest of English writing and math. I employed them for a while years ago and ended up pretty glad when they moved on. So much for the education system. It stands out immediately when you employ someone what their education level is and their ability to learn administrative & financial procedures from printed words. Their ability to think on the go is compromised without a solid education in the basics. They were bright enough guys but an essential part of their skill set was simply missing. It costs you good $ sometimes, a good employee is like gold. Glad I’m retired now too.
Makes me wonder about the difficulty a Scientology only educated person would have to contend with out in the real world. Scientology has a lot to answer for with their lies.
The problem with that is that over the last several decades we have seen a loosening of those laws. A lot of people lobbied to have mandatory public education laws changed so that kids could be home-schooled (regardless of parental qualification). And they did it for religious reasons (and still do so they can teach subjects not taught in public schools), probably arguing there were not private parochial schools they had access to or could afford. That, in addition to poor public school funding in many areas, has also led to a plethora of privately run (although publicly funded) charter schools, that have much less obligation to the public to provide quality education for everyone. Just like for-profit prisons, their motivation is not the same and they are not held accountable for results they claim in a way that is scientific. With a billionaire Secretary of Education now that has singlehandedly deregulated charter schools in Michigan (also a source of profit for her), and who is a fervent backer of religious schools, it is unlikely we will see improvement in that area any time soon. US laws are being bent at an alarming rate when it comes to defining what “education” is, and the influence of the conservative Christian politician is providing an umbrella for all religions to operate under as they seek to eliminate the divide between religion and government.
Some strict Christian religions do that…like that infamous well known TV family. Keeping the child AT HOME limits what access they will have to learning something a parent deems inappropriate. It also keeps the child fully & completely under parental control 24/7.
Not being allowed to form one’s own opinions prevent CRITCIAL THINKING to be attained….one can’t compare what they’ve been taught to anything else because they are forbidden access to it. On line schooling for many parents allows them to keep the child under the supervision of the parent, it also prevents the child from forming socialization with their peer group of whom the parent might not approve.
I remember when my own daughter was about 7, she was friends with another little girl the same age who lived up the street, along with two other girls who were sisters. This one little girl’s parents joined a cult like religious sect & their daughter was no longer allowed to associate with those other two girls because she said “my parents said she doesn’t know Jesus so I can’t play with her anymore”……..Wow & this was decades ago.
Great explanation, Cecy….It is the law that every child under the age of 18 attend school and receive an education but with the “cult’s” private schools, there is nothing in place that informs a state agency that a child is not attending. Especially, when the “private school” can falsify reporting of attendance, curriculum is not approved, and testing is not state proxy’d…. Even when they fall under the state mandatory reporting requirements for suspected child abuse, if parents are of like mind as the church doctrine (handle in house), there is no liability other than the innocence of the child and their psychological and physical well-being.
I am still baffled that this still happens in America today. I’m really ashamed of our country regarding the protection of children in this cult and that there is no oversight once government proclaims them a “religion”. Makes me physically ill.
Some don’t teach the “big bang theory”….i.e. evolution…..they only teach “the creation” from the Bible….
I homeschooled my two early on. My Mom was dying of cancer and the school district threatened me for letting a kindergartener miss school to be with his dying grandmother. Kindergarten is not mandatory in California. But the state pays $7000/student for average daily attendance (ada).
You cannot just independently school your kids unless you are a credentialed teacher and you must follow the state standards. Which I did. We were part of Horizon Charter. I loved it and we collaborated with other homeschool families. No bullying, and fantastic self directed learning. So much creativity.
I am a Christian – we reserved Bible lessons for Sunday school. We had plenty to do and explore with our lessons. Science involved cooking, baking and Cartesian divers. Kids took Karate, learned to speak some Japanese, and even visited the Japanese Consulate in San Fran. My first grader designed and built two wooden benches – one a lion, the other a tiger. My daughter made a Newtonian Physics machine for one science fair we held. We fostered animals for a local rescue and my daughter did a science experiment tracking how much the bottle baby kittens were fed and the relation between how large they grew and the ever increasing time between feedings. It was so cool. She really got it. Oh…and she was in first grade.
After my Mom passed, they went back to regular school. The teachers remarked on the incredible world knowledge my kids had. They are well-rounded young people who bear no prejudice and value everyone. They are smart, articulate, confident, and kind. They didn’t learn that in school.
I too wonder about lobbying the government to do something about the abuse being inflicted and charges brought against anyone complicent in any and all abuse cases for these adult children of Scientology. It makes me physically ill that authorities stand by and have done nothing. Hubbard was nothing more than an evil megalomaniac. Evil is continually being perpetuated through EVERYONE involved in this cult. I applaud you for having the courage to expose this horrific cult. May God bless you both abundantly. He is your rock. Lean on Him for all you need to continue your journey.
Outstanding post.
1. We could not tolerate the audio and had to mute it and just read closed captions. Unbearable just to listen let alone be the child/children that experienced that. So very sorry to all of you that did. 2. I have been teaching my teen children critical thinking. Tonight I paused the screen on the CO$ teachings and we discussed the beyond flawed logic. Specifically, we picked about LRH’s logic that Children weren’t dogs so they were therefore adults. My teen daughter then just skipped all of that and got to the root. She asked me “SO it is okay to abuse adults!?” Yes, that is the actual premise. It is okay to abuse adults. Children are adults. I was so proud of her that I had to share. But also, that is their sickening premise.
Outstanding. I too stopped the show multiple times to explain some things to my kids (18 & 20 – college students). They are absolutely incensed about this crap. Now they understand why I’ve always harassed the idiots with the table, e-meter and Dianetics books out in front of Walmart!
This mind numbing, conscience destroying, mind rape must end. No more hurting the children with L Ron Hubbard’s sick and twisted demonic doctrines.
L Ron Hubbard was not a nice man. Sorry you guys who are glad you met him. All of this
ALL OF THIS!!!!!!
Is the application of L Ron Hubbard’s writings. When people say “Scientology did these things”, they really mean L Ron Hubbard’s words are being applied by Scientologists.
Scientologist’s weird unemotional behavior is studied on course. These people study Ron’s words and then loose their soul/conscience.
Mother’s loose familial instincts. It’s insidious and demonic.
Please authorities…… DO SOMETHING!!!!!
“…they really mean LRH’s words are being applied by Scientologists”…….
At some point, the “individuals” applying LRH words need to take some responsibility for the abuses they metted out and do the right thing…by acknowledging and speaking out against it.
Hi Bro!
“sick and twisted demonic doctrines”.
All of my recent research into the Occult confirms this statement, Brian. I made myself a test subject following Hubbard’s path by reading most of the 19th century occult doctrine which he copied. There is a tipping point in the occult where a decision is made to follow it into light or darkness. This is for real. Hubbard abandoned love for affinity. He stressed the dark side and used it for control of minds instead of the liberation of minds. A few people hold on to his doctrine because they are limited in understanding its full implications. There is a deep misunderstanding of eastern philosophy in the west and Hubbard just exploited the mistranslations and mockery.
Much Metta,
George
George, ty for this post. I just got your book on Kindle. I was steeped in Xtianity, with warnings not to read this or that, and I haven’t gone too far away from those warnings. I approach gingerly. Thanks again!
Thanks Gravitysucks,
Feel free to ask any questions.
Hi George – Maybe you should save these comments you have been making over the last few weeks regarding Hubbard’s occultism, perhaps for future publication. They are very informative even without going into specifics. “Tipping point” is something you haven’t mentioned before and is a valuable addition to my limited knowledge of occultism.
Hi Richard,
You are great inspiration and I appreciate your positive feedback. I am saving my comments for future publication. I mention the “tipping point” because I actually felt it while studying the occult. I thought to myself. Hey, this stuff can be dangerous.
I am also working on a free website which will present some of my findings. Even a simple word like “cognition” used by Hubbard was first used by Rudolph Steiner. For some reason, I now sleep very, very well knowing that Hubbard was only a son of Blavatsky.
George – I take it you mean I am great “encouragement”. I first read that as “You are A great inspiration . . .” which was quite an ego boost! Keep up the good work.
Metta back to you, George. My own take on Hubbard, based mostly on having read the execllent biogs by Jon Attak and Russell Miller: Hubbard was more opportunist than an occultist. He took bits and piecesd of whatever he could steal here and there: Crowley, Mme Blavatsky, a bit of Freud and a smattering of Buddhism (which he never understood and made to attempt to to understand) and added a heavy dose of hypnotism. Whatever he thought would sell.
I believe his dabbling in the occult with Jack Parsons was more about getting free room and board, scalping Parsons financially and helping himself to Parsons’ woman. I agree completely that he was on the dark side, but I don’t think he made a conscious decision to be there. It came naturally to him. My two cents.
May all beings be liberated.
Hi bixntram,
I like your take on Hubbard. You are well informed.
“I agree completely that he was on the dark side, but I don’t think he made a conscious decision to be there. It came naturally to him.”
I think Hubbard noticed after WWII that the Occult movement was moving in the softer direction of the “Age of Aquarius”. This was his great market opportunity to sell a religion with murderous science fiction covering the framework already established by Blavatsky and others in the 19th century. He nailed me because he read all of the forbidden books which I did not and could not read as a Catholic. He then was able to twist religion and philosophy into a form which I found new. He was ignorant and stupid about Buddhism as well.
My two cents.
Just watched Nathan and Tara. Cried! FUCK this evil cult! Time to shut it down!
Thank you for talking about the EVIL Child labor camp and prison – Scientology Mace Kingsley Ranch. Fuck you Wally Hanks – you creepy fuck! Debbie Mace – shame on you!
Outraged. Outraged and angry. That is what I felt watching last night’s episode. What are the names of each of the parents who shipped their kids off there? I want the names of Tara’s and Nathan’s mom and dad each. They need to be publicly shamed for what they did. Having your son pulled from his bed and taken out kicking and screaming to go to a prison camp? And telling the camp wardens to never let the daughter call her again? This from the one person who is supposed to love you unconditionally? Just horrible. What are their names?
They are us Cindy. Any of us who chose to believe what we were told in the ‘scriptures’ that El Con spewed out are to some degree accountable. Some had worse outcomes than others but to some perhaps even small degree we all participated.
Now it is up to us to make sure it goes away. My daughter is a 19 year SO veteran. My son is a public ‘scientologist’ married into a whale family and disconnected from his mother and father by his choice. Why? He/she/it and they choose to believe the same crap we did.
If I had taken a stand against the cult early on I think the outcome would have been different. I didn’t.
Now, I will never stop working to expose the truth about what the cult masquerading as a religion is all about. Today I had a discussion with a Jewish group based in San Francisco. Trust me, they were astonished and any ‘interfaith panels’ which might be shared with $cientologists won’t be happening!
Yo Dave,
Tomorrow is another Thursday and another downstat day for You and Your motley crew. Tell Julian to stiffen disipline you lazy asshole. And at least issue some new declares you pathethic pile of hammered dogshit. Do something Dave, even if it is wrong …………. which it usually is.
Well said, and thank you, for getting out and fighting to expose the brainwashing and dehumanization done within this cult. I have always believed that it will take those getting out to bring it down. Because you “know”. But it has been so hazardous, up to now, to speak out publicly. It is still dangerous, but someone has to step up. And the numbers doing it are increasing. Mike, Leah, Tony, all those who have written books, all those involved with the Aftermath episodes, all here and out ‘there’, past, present and future, and to all who are making a ‘stand’ with those fighting to bring it to its knees, THANK YOU.
Coop, you’re right. Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.
To all those still-in scientologist lurkers who fear the future of attempting to leave scientology … just look at that photo.
All of those people are clearly enjoying themselves and have a very bright future.
You have nothing to fear but fear itself.
…oh and one other thing. Isn’t it nice to see photos on the wall, and not one of them is a photo of that sinister leering L.Ron Hubbard.
Fear of the unknown, fear of disconnection, fear of the “bad things” recorded in auditing being exposed, fear of no job prospects or a place to live…..intimidation has kept many in for decades…..all too sad.
I must say. thank you! this is the most real, and powerful, and meaningful show on television. to be honest (speaking as general public american) I had no idea (as I think I can speak for most Americans) what Scientology was/is when it began or how… and not only does the program educate the public on really what Scientology is… but breaks down the continuation of evil within the social culture they have built. I have watched every episode (this week… thanks a&e on demand) and I’m in. I hope we witness a great outcome. your bravery is inspiring and thank you for not fearing to show your face to speak and educated. you are the truth of humanity. the definition that we are not perfect, we do wrong, but inside us we have good and want to do good. and you are investing in that. and even being in Scientology you were there based on that original motivation. and still have not burnt out that flame. your family should be proud… because this Florida girl just watching the show sure is. much love! #declareme #speakout #theaftermath
That’s a lot of awesome at one table! Enjoy yourselves 🙂
Just watched the newest instalment Re; suicides. In both cases there should have filed murder charges against Scientology by the families effected.. If that fails, go civil action just like the O.J situation. Pressure must be brought to bare…
What a fabulous group of people. I am happy you have one another to share your lives with.
As unfortunate as it is that Scientology is what brought you together and started as your common bond, it is what you do today and in the future that matters.
Wishing you all the joy and happiness you so richly deserve.
I agree – great photo! You all look so happy and healthy and relaxed. You’ve earned it!!
Today, I’ve been bingeing on all my recorded Aftermath episodes. While “Clearing my nucleus” Haha. Watch 10 min, scamper for 5 and dust, mop, organise. Im waiting impatiently for tonight!!
I decided to do this today because I read other message boards, lurk on FB “support for” groups and some of the Anti Aftermath blogs aka Ministry of Sour Grapes”. Oh and yeah, I just figgered out Twitter!! Interesting to be a witness to a movement that I believe will be very significant in many areas of society.
So, on the Anti Aftermath Anti Bunker blogs, which post to Twitter (with no responses lol, the Sourgrapers have to resort to Twitterstalking) each day there are slightly sensational claims. One of which is that Leah is acting when she responds to tales of atrocities committed BY the CO$. Tales of heartbreak. If I only HEARD these episodes, I would still have such a visceral reaction.
Back to acting. When I step back and observe, I see both Leah and Mike striving to maintain their composure. I think Leah s eyes widening is all she cannot control, as she tries not to sob, scream or curse. That might be an acting technique, but it might have been something learned before acting classes, because Mike Rinder does the same. So, maybe it’s from early teachings of the cult. Dunno.
I never got adequate training for poker face, my heart pours out of my eyes. I can keep my composure, but my eyes and skin tone are huge giveaways.
Achtung Aftermath Critics! Question. What certainty do you have of the outtakes? Or paraphrased, does your knowingness know what actually gets edited? Hmm. Are you hovering above the editing rooms lil Elroy?
I dont understand how someone can watch these programs, witness someone’s anguish, and respond by hurling shit at people via the internet. It’s not very Vedic, or Buddhist, or MyBigToe.ish. it’s just vicious, sounds jealous, and sounds exactly like the official CO$ refutations of each episode of Aftermath.
Let go of the begrudgingness, the BannedOfBrotherness, snarkishness.
Hot coals, remember?
What I see when Mike and Leah listen to these people is steps.
1. They are horrified.
2. They are angry.
3. They want to offer what the contributors never had. Compassion and empathy.
4. They are really pissed.
5. The fire that was lighted inside of them grows hotter. They want justice, in a real form, for these people.
6. Even more dedication to this cause.
7. A simmering need for the truth. This boils much of the time. But you can see it.
The really good thing is, they can bank it. There will be a fight. Mini DM will not go down without tossing everything he has at his disposal at them. An epic hissy fit indeed. Let him pull out his dog and pony show with his group of tame monkeys, ie Tom and his like.
His number are shrinking. His followers falling and his lies so epic they are beyond imagination.
Keep up the good fight Leah and Mike. We har you loud and clear. This is the kind of clear DM will never understand.
Honestly, the long since trite attacks on anyone who speaks out about the abuses of the “church” of Scientology are getting so old that I have to believe they are completely meaningless to most people. I don’t even bother myself to read Miscavige’s “responses” to the claims made by ex-Scientologists, because they aren’t “responses” at all, they never once have been. How I wish Miscavige would stop being such a pussy and just once directly address the allegations of his physical and psychological abuse. The “church” needs to finally let go of the “Don’t Defend, Attack!” because even they have to know how meaningless their attacks are. I can only come to the conclusion that Miscavige is so mentally disturbed that he just cannot understand that no one gives a damn about what he and his “church” say about their ex-members in response to their stories of the abuses of the “church”. He just simply is not capable of understanding that even if the things they are saying about the ex-members are completely true, it doesn’t matter one bit to ANYONE ANYMORE!!! These personal attacks on ex-members have absolutely nothing to do with the abuses of the “church” and by David Miscavige, and this method of trying to discredit ex-members and “SP’s” is well known, tired, and pathetic. Just as David Miscavige himself is: old, tired, and pathetic.
Grow some balls COB. Stop being a total pussy, stop hiding, stop spending months and months preparing and rehearsing for television and newspaper interviews that never happen. Address the stories of your abuse and psychosis directly and honestly, without rehearsing. Be a real person for once in your life.
On one of the church’s disclaimers or rebuttals on last night’s show, it said something like, “Guilluam LeSevere denies he was ever beaten by Miscavige.” My memory could be wrong and it was a different Holee that said he was never beaten. I don’t think A & E should publish that on the show for this reason: how do they know it was really Guilliuam or whichever Holee it was, how do they know it was really that person saying it? Unless you SEE the person, see their ID to see whether both faces and signatures match, and hear it from their mouth while physically in front of you, how do you know it is even this person saying it? Look at spokesperson Karen Pouw, she says things in writing but not in person because it is really DM who is saying it and signing her name to it. So if he does it for her, what is to stop it for the other Holee’s? That is why A & E should not put it on their site unless A & E themselves, personally saw the person, checked their ID and heard it from their mouth in person what they claim.
I find the responses from the Church that are shown on the show actually help make the show that much more believable. If they were to apply “What is Greatness?” rather than “every critic has crimes” they might win some sympathy. What they inevitably do only shoots them in the foot.
Sympathy? Ron put sympathy low on the tonescale. Lower than 1.1 and 1.1 are people that need to be rounded up and institutionalized.
Sympathy low on the tone scale is an instruction to Scientologists to be heartless. Sympathy is the bank for the Scientologist.
Sympathy is an L Ron Hubbard definitional rape. Just look at the outcome.
The book – Advanced Procedures and Axioms devotes a whole chapter to sympathy. It only has 2 sentences in that chapter. “Sympathy must be wholly removed from the case. This is brief but very important.” L. Ron Hubbard.
Hubbard deplored sympathy and punished those displaying it and set up procedures and doctrines throughout his technology to enforce this aspect of his religion be applied to everyone, regardless of age. To Hubbard it was a technical issue that needed to be enforced as standard technology by all Scientologists as a part of their daily lives. That’s what makes it so easy for a Scientologist to disconnect from anyone, even family. They feel no sympathy or compassion for others, not even themselves while they guzzle the cool-aid.
Those child camps are a consequence of the applied Religious Philosophy of Scientology being put into practice. The SO and Cof$ churches run on the same principle as well as the whole of the Scientology public are expected to follow suit. Take the PR and smoke & mirrors away from Scientology and you a left with a ruthless regime, hell bent on money, power and the making of mindless slaves out of humanity.
As an ex Scientologist it doesn’t take much looking to realise this principle underlies all of the managerial systems of that organisation. Even worse, you even pay good money to be processed to accept that type of behaviour as the saviour of your eternity.
I would never apply ANYTHING from this cult.
How about disconnection? You told the cult to fuck off didn’t you? That’s the way Scientology does things. Want to write a SS?
Some new definitions I will work out in clay tonight:
Holee: A Scientololgist that spent time in the Hole
Hole: A Scientology Prison – with actual bars – where honest beings lick bathroom floors and slap each other until they admit their crimes against Scientology or David Miscavige
Scientology: A prison within your mind – where you are mind fucked beyond belief compliments of criminal con man and charlatan – L Ron Hubbard. Taken over Jan 1986 – by a punk from Philly named David Miscavige – a self made dictator that rules the cult with an iron fist.
COB – a CS who SC on HB.
PLEASE don’t say the demented one is a Philly boy. Most of his childhood was spent in South Jersey, as was the Auditor who “cured” his Asthma.(I might have known the poor soul who likely would be devastated if he found out what he unleashed into the SCN universe by doing a good job. Then Davey Boy went and blew from an excellent high school, my alma mater. As a result, he natters that it was “full of druggies.” He likely went out and found the reprobates who exist in any school, then proceeded to organize them into his crew. According to the cops, the school has never been big for drugs (other than a little alcohol and the gang that smokes on the corner of the church a block away.
So glad you could leave and be with friends. I think a big answer to surviving leaving the organization is the sense of warm community and support you give to each other. I hope you are all able to create a strong “underground railroad” effect for others who want to take the first step.
I saw the preview last night and was struck by LRH’s words that kids are “not dogs” but simply mini-adults. How very generous of him to singlehandedly confer that status on other human beings! And how telling that his first instinct was to compare young humans to animals.
I think this was one of the most dangerous things he could have said. The reincarnation thing is no biggie to me – lots of people in various religions think they come back to be with folks from their past to experience things and work out past karma or lessons in different roles. But they don’t believe they come back all grown up when they are a different person. They don’t believe that a returning human has access to their entire soul or memories from a past life. THEY START ALL OVER AS CHILDREN.
But believing that kids are in full control of their faculties or connected to their entire spirit the minute they are born is just insane. Even an old soul living in a new body would have to adjust to the different stages of mental, physical and emotional development of a new body. Especially if they have no memory of previous incarnations. Otherwise, we’d all come out quoting Shakespeare and doing algebra not having to learn everything from scratch.
The reason this attitude is so destructive when applied here is that it is the same kind of superficial objectifying philosophy that pedophiles use to justify sexually abusing minors – by treating them as grown-ups with full command of their own sexuality and maturity, by conferring an agency on them and an autonomy they do not fully have. In every society in the past that children have been treated the same as miniature adults (from dress to behavioral expectations) child sexual abuse has been rampant.
All responsible health professionals realize that children are developing humans that have to go through different stages during their maturity. Take any child development course and you’ll see that it’s not just mental and emotional differences. Some abilities develop contingent to physical maturation so that certain responses or skills are not even available at certain ages. Some motor skill mastery often precedes spatial perception which impacts learning abilities, and the prefrontal cortex, which governs rational thinking and impulse control isn’t even fully developed in humans until 25 years old.
It’s one thing that this blowhard thought up a system for adults, but superimposing it on children was not only irresponsible, it obviously led to the kind of perspective where children could be sexually perceived as adults, and then blamed for it, the classic excuse of every pedophile EVER. Building it in to an adult organization and forcing that on children as if there are no age-appropriate differences is simply abusive in an of itself, imo, regardless of philosophy. When you add on physical and sexual abuse it becomes criminal.
Cecy,
Well written and thought out, IMO.
What Cecy said.
Plus 1! Outstanding post!
Nicely put. I just finished reading Janis Grady’s book #1, “Commodore’s Messenger”. It is a classic case of how Hubbard acted with children – “They’ve done it all before and I expect them to remember and get it right the first time!” Parts of this brilliantly written book make it clear that Hubbard was convinced of his views. As far as I can tell, he did not extend that to any form of sexual abuse and could get violent with any SO staff who took sexual advantage of youngsters. But the children HAD to work like adults and keep the same hours. It’s a book well wroth reading to get a really intense “inside” look into the mind of Hubbard.
Cecy, your humanity is showing & I agree with you, Hubbard called his so called route to freedom, “scientific” but in essence it’s barbaric in practice and in another time and place would literally have blood on its hands, (as it is enough people have died from it already and countless others devastated financially to fit into a classification of a deadly philosophical practice). Scientology can and does create the cruellest and most vicious form of parenting imaginable.
It struck me somewhat hard when I pieced together his R6 research and saw his “think” aligning with the rest of his ‘tek’ but then he created the most biased policy and soul destroying system of organisation to police it. I first thought it genius at the time way back but when I witnessed first hand the disastrous effect it created not only on my life but especially those who took his word literally, instead of looking at what they are doing. This manifested itself as you so rightfully point out in your comment – the treatment and recognition of children as something other than children. Scientology’s so called “scientific” attempt to erase childhood from the human condition is just too gruesome to contemplate without feeling nauseas.
Yawn I agree. The more enlightened humans have become over the millennia the more they have tried to protect children with laws designed not to exploit or abuse them. We are learning new things all the time. Child abuse of any kind has always started with the presumption that children are simply little adults, and it’s a real red flag when it comes to judging wholesomeness of any point of view. Like social taboos against incest, taboos against exploiting children are society’s way of survival of the species. You won’t last long if you treat progeny like objects to be exploited.
Frankly, LRH’s claims of being “scientific” were so flimsy we know he was laughed out of court and it’s obvious that fact was cut out of every CoS member’s education (they were too busy learning inflated and false claims about his background and accomplishments). His philosophy itself is such a mish-mash of other theories of the time, and putting it together with a cheap GSR type instrument to create a “lie-detector” to allow feelings to be related to actual proof of anything is just horrendously exploitive – particularly when it was weaponized to control people’s behavior. He may have combined available information in a unique way, but none of it was the least bit original, much less “scientific”. Genius marketing tool? Yes. Scientific method? Not so much.
Scientific means evidence of an acceptable size, subject to peer review, means one has to provide actual studies using controlled observations and measurements to test hypotheses (and revise when data does not support them), means white papers in responsible journals, means results that can be duplicated by others in a controlled environment, NONE of which he ever provided anyone and which any fool would think of doing before going in front of a court of law to get any kind of public or professional recognition.
He had the right to any and all of his opinions regarding humanity and the condition of the universe, but he had absolutely no legal right at all to claim they were “scientific” or based on science. The man might as well have been selling magic amulets with a powerful placebo effect, imo.
He took a valuable concept in psychology and religion – that of the catharsis of admitting and externalizing feelings – which he used a widely available technology to “measure” – and then basically taught people to control their responses with bio-feedback like methods, then provided a “bridge to being cured” chart to justify all the cost. Super scam. If this helped people change their lives for the better it was because they had the will to want it to work, not that it would work independently. Shit, even AA tells people to take responsibility for their behavior.
The whole thing reminds me of the movie Dumbo, where the little elephant thinks he can’t fly until a sleazy crow gives him a “magic feather” which allows him to perform at the circus. Of course it just gives him the confidence to believe in his own abilities, and he doesn’t find out until the end that he doesn’t need the feather at all to soar above the crowd..
In the US we’ve seen other organizations selling vitamins, exercise equipment, “cures” for diseases – you name it – that have claimed to be “scientific” and they have been tossed out of court and thrown out of business for bilking people of their money. They are responsible for FRAUD. True, Big Pharma has done similar irresponsible things with medications, but there are plenty of class-action lawsuits around to bring them to task for causing harm to patients or for making claims they cannot back up. There is no recourse or recompense for a “religion” bilking you out of your life’s work that fails to deliver on their claims (and how clever to transfer the blame to the victim) to the satisfaction of the vast majority of its constituents (or provide swift refunds for those who do not get the desired results).
It is one thing for a fully formed adult to give consent to engage in these practices. Particularly since they are deemed of age by the legal system. But this organization has no right to violate laws designed to protect children from being exploited by adults, and it looks like it can and does whenever it wants to make a buck. And I’m sure it’s why there are so many examples behavior they engage in that is either outright human trafficking or dangerously close to it.
I’m convinced at this point that there probably should be a RICO investigation opened up. Because this is racketeering at its most obvious, and CoS should not be allowed to hide under the aegis of a “religion” any more when it acts more like an organized crime operation, extorting money and using intimidation to silence its critics from exposing its highly suspect methods of making profit as well as the ways it abuses the law.
I agree RICO should be implemented. The sooner the better.
If Scientology wasn’t so damaging it would be comical to realise Hubbard’s claim to scientific breakthroughs can be traced back to his ‘discovery’ that an electrical motor has a BASE! Fancy that, it has a base… that base holds the terminals apart so that a current could flow. No-one else in the whole universe ever noticed that before he said. From there he theorised thetan’s holding things apart, collapsing terminals etc etc.
I don’t have a problem knowing what he said, and the fact I audited for years but I have a big problem with what he did with his “technology” and the abuses he foisted off on so many people. Let alone all the lies he fabricated in amongst his bs scientific claims to sucker us in.
Oh my… sigh.
I Yawnalot – “Oh my . . . sigh.” Laughter. That kind of says it all. Someone should come up with something new to replace hindsight is 20 – 20. At least hindsight provides insight.
Yep, and here we sit Richard. Beer in hand, staring into space, wondering WTF did we do? So glad, there’s more than one beer in the house.
Great post – well said.
Beautiful and articulate explanation, Cecy! And to blame children for pulling in their abuse will prevent them from ever healing completely as it adds a layer of guilt to the original trauma.
+1 Cecybeans 🙂
This
Have fun, SPs! Don’t forget to use the hashtag # when you tweet so that your tweets will kick more ass — that way they go into twitter’s database and are searchable:
#Scientology
#ScientologyTheAftermath
Mike, I know you’re good about using the hashtag but some of your compadres there could use a reminder.
Y’all are bad for my health. I swore I would never tweet or twitter.Now I set up an account just to watch Scientology hang themselves.
Dammit, I hate that………*sighs*
Have a nice vacation enjoy ?
Have a great time together! Don’t know any of you personally but so happy for you! Glad you are taking time out to have fun and recharge.
Just FYI, the show will be shown at the same time in eastern and central time zones (10 eastern and 9 central are the same time). The Pacific (and perhaps mountain) will be delayed 3 hours.
Thanks for all y’all do!
Have fun! I look forward to another intense show!
Have a awesome vacation ??
Wonderful picture, Mike! Gave me a lift!
As per what I just read on Tony O’s blog….Of course “Uncle Dearest” wants to shut her the “F” up…..it looks bad for him & “Dearest Auntie” to have Tara tell the truth about the horrific treatment she received as a child. I can only imagine that these two OT ‘s will face the severe punishment of the COB once this episode is aired. If they were “any good OT 8’s” they would have moved Heaven & Hell to get Tara to pull this episode. I would not want to be in their shoes…good luck Uncle & Auntie…..the stuff is going to hit the fan, & you’re about to get sent back to the beginning of the “bridge”.
This other young blonde girl who was sexually assaulted, I pray to all that is Holy she can come forward with her own story. If you are reading this, please I beg you to help yourself & come forward. We all want to help you honey. So many children sexually assaulted & physically abused yet NOTHING can be done about it…..some are so afraid or yet too embarrassed to come forward they have to live day to day with these horrific memories.
It is beyond anyone’s comprehension that any of this occurred, parents are expected to turn over their own children to the care of an organization that allows children to perform hard physical labor, allows them to sexually assaulted as in it’s their own fault this happened to them, they invited it as adults in little bodies.
Just from the preview alone of Tara & Nate….so brave to step forward like Merriam & Saina did to shed light on what really went on behind the gates of HELL on Earth. No education other than the teachings of Scientology keeps them under educated & not able to obtain gainful employment outside the organization. Hard physical labor get “the job done” at the expense of the child who is denied what every child should have, loving parents to care for them. They’re saving thousands by not having to PAY for a crew to remove boulders, clean, repair, build fences etc. It comes right down to these children who feel they have NO escape from the living Hell want out so badly they actually consider suicide, which of course, would be covered up by the organization.
So much heartache on the inside…..so much LOVE, CARE & CONCERN here on Tony & Mike’s blogs……keep coming forward, it’s the ONLY way to get any justice.
This is so reminiscent of the FDLS church. I watch the show Escaping Polygamy and the similarities are astounding. Children put to work at 4,5,6 and seven years of age working 12 hour days and working nights at Church owned businesses making pennies, putting up with sexual abuse and pedophiles, being told that certain family members are not worthy and being punished by being sent away and taken away from families, shunning when a family member decides to leave, and children having no education past the eighth grade. It is very sad.
Yes!!! I was thinking the same thing!
I have a cousin that is caught up in the FLDS. Mary is old enough to know better, but it works for her. I told her I didn’t get it. I won’t share my man. She just shrugged.
We were both raised LDS and the differences are telling. I want to get physically ill watching Sister Wives on TV. I don’t want my *husband’s* attention when it’s *my turn* if I want a let’s get naked and do the mattress rumba buddy I don’t want to lie to myself and think he has any commitment to me.
Though I am still listed on the LDS rolls if I don’t want missionaries or relief society ladies, all I have to say is, yanno, I know where you are if I want to become more active. The worst I get from that is a Christmas or Birthday card. I can live with that.
Given in marriage to a “relative” at a very young age……Warren Jeffs “married” his deceased father’s wives. He picked & chose all the prettiest young girls as brides, including the 12 year old he “married & then consummated the marriage” in front of WITNESSES. His marital rites was recorded & played for the court.
Happy vacation
Happy vacation? Man, how long has it been since I had a vacation? In fact…oh, wait, I live at the beach. Never mind.
Yeah, me too. I live at a holiday destination on the wilderness coast. Like many locals here we “hibernate” through Christmas untill the end of January (southern hemisphere summer) when the kiddies go back to school. Then it’s all mine, MINE I TELL YOU!!! “hohahahaha” (as I wickedly rub my hands together).
Have a nice vacation! Best regards do Aaron and Mark and their spouses! Please tell Aaron that his videos are popular among Russian ex members in all 8 time zones.
Ps I suppose that any Scientologist in a mile around you will have a mind-bubble blow from such concentration of super SPs))))))
Now that is a group of fine looking SP’s. Thanks for doing what you all do!!
Finally time for a little R & R for our wonderful Mike Rinder & family. Feels wonderful to be free from oppression & control of an organization that takes everything from you & out of you. For us to know that you have managed to share a great few days bonding is so well deserved & earned.
Mike & Leah, I don’t have enough words to express how deeply Aftermath has affected so many people. It’s a wake up call to the “never ins” & to the ones who are now out, to see the reality of it all. It pains me greatly to see the expression of total shock & disbelief on Leah’s face & your face when those lovely people came forward during film to tell their own horror stories.
How does one be “IN” the group & yet not know children were being abused & sexually violated. The look on Mike’s face when he listened to Mirriam & Siana’s stories I could easily see the pain on Mikes’ face….he was thinking about his OWN now adult children, what they might have endured during the time they were in the school classroom for Scientology training….did any of THIS happen to his daughter Taryn or son? To hear the stories of suicide that a parishioner or staff member is to “get over immediately” is beyond anyone’s comprehension…..to BLAME the person who was sexually assaulted is beyond sickening, as if they as innocent children invited a sexual assault upon themselves.
To see that group of grown women DENY that any physical abuse occurred, i.e. Mike wasn’t physically assaulted, & then to hear from J.B. & Gary that they witnessed these same assaults, yet there is that scripted passage that the church denies this or that.
So many wonderful Blessing coming your way Mike, Leah, & all those interviewed. Those now adult children will never forget what happened to them…..of course as one can forgive the abuser….but no one ever forgets, as Siana said….it stays with you all your life.
I’m so happy for you all have fun!!!
Lift one for all of the good you and crew are doing, have done, and will do. The very best revenge on your naysayers is to FLOURISH AND PROSPER.
On our part we will lift one in salute to you during your show tonight.
PS: Dear OSA MAA: not to worry about our lifting of one’s, we are not auditing tomorrow.
On the day after my mom, 83, and her 91 year old partner had to evacuate their California wine country house, and not knowing yet if they have a livable house to return to, the pic you posted with all of you looking so happy and content is exactly what I most needed to see. I’ll be watching tonight. There is so much peace and joy in all your faces. Every one of you deserve it.
Rivercs-my heart goes out to you and mom and her partner. I know what it means to have to go through an evacuation and losing ones home. Hugs, big hugs and the Christian churches will assist you.
That picture with all the ex members, having a great time, made me cry tears of joy. It gives me hope. What a wonderful, WONDERFUL picture.
Looking forward to tonight’s episode.
I want all who read this post to know how happy I am personally for the crew in this picture. Reading the blog for the past couple of months and devotedly watching the Aftermath series, as a “Never Scientologist”, Wog and total outsider, i have acquired so much empathy for what all have been through I am overjoyed to join Old Surfer Dude what “A Wonderful, WONDERFUL picture”.
Cheers, Old Music Dude….ooooooH maybe time to retire Rants-a-lot??!!! Me Thinks YES….
That one picture said a thousand words of hope.
Oh my, two Old “…” Dudes?
It took long enough to come to terms with OSD and the sand in his flip flops.
What the hell… bring on the Old … Dudes, plenty of space.
ROTFLMFAO! Now that’s some funny shit, I Yawn! It’s morning time here and you’ve already given me my laugh for today. Cheers, lad!
Thanks for sharing this fantastic photo. All these great smiles, happy apostates is the BEST revenge.
You got that right, Ms. P. I can’t wipe this smile from my face!
OSD – how about that great smile on our faces when we finally meet at your big bang beach shindig! can’t wait. BTW, this saying a lot cause I’m on the east coast and I’m planning on meeting you and all my other favorites here!
We will have the best time ever!
I hosted a get together for ex-Scientology members at our home a few years ago. My backyard was packed. Had a great time. One gal brought food in a very nice bowl. When she found out I was out of the cult, she left and never took her bowl with her. Strange…
Was it a gift, do you think, Old Surfer Dude?
Does the bowl “tick?”
Mike, don’t be shy about putting up some more photos. Seeing you all seated around the table like this warms my heart. Tomorrow I”m having a mini-reunion with old ‘sixties friends. Thank God, none of us had anything to do with scientology – though we were all susceptible at the time.
You were the lucky ones…
Great snap, full of so much genuine warmth! Enjoy your time away Mike – you’ve certainly earned it!
🙂
Myself and a couple of new folks will be watching tonight.
I have a feeling, T-Marie, that more ex’s will be watching this episode. As well as getting hooked on this show.
It’s a great time to be an ex Scientologists!
Great point, I like your thinking, Surfer. There’s never been a better time to be an ex scientologist!! Made me feel good.
To Mike and crew… Super photo! Enjoy yourselves.
Looking forward to tonight’s episode.
I think…therefore I surf.
Great time to be an ex-Scientologist, oh yeah and then some! Like loving the smell of napalm in the morning – the smell of victory (said to tune of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background.)
For those of you young ‘uns who don’t know Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, check this out and try not to be feel emotionally moved by it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73Z6291Pt8
Oh geez OSD – don’t go all Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness on us! (although that’s kind of the mental image I have of LRH – as kind of a Colonel Kurtz playing grand poobah in the jungle).
Great picture! Enjoy your vacation!!
we are all so flippin happy for you.
Thanks for sharing this. We are so rooting for you all.
And…..
Can’t wait for tonight!!
(gulp – you warned us…..)
So many defrocked apostates, so much joy and happiness! 🙂
Funny how they come together like that. Defrocked apostates = joy & happiness.
Cheers…
I watch Aaron Smith-Levin’s vids on Youtube all the time and he’s another great source for scientology stuff. Enjoy your vacation!!
I had always known from a formal friend that has been deceased for a long time about Scientology. This all reminds me of I believe a David in Waco long ago. My heart goes out to each and everyone of you believing all that you did. I do not know how David M gets away with all of this, as obviously many of you have been beaten up by this idiot. He looks evil, as anyone that has true love in their hearts and really helps people would not do the horrific things you talk about. I was raised Catholic and I’m sure the catholic priests and nuns have done some terrible things. David M needs to be brought to justice. How did he become the leader of Scientology..oh yes I did see it on TV, but how do people put up with this and they know about it. I find all of this eye opening and no wonder the 3 wives of Tom Cruise left him. Thank you for informing so many people watching this and I hope that true justice is done and that David M gets what he deserves. I hope he knows about Karma and it always comes around big time. God bless all of you!
I look at your photo and I want to cry tears of joy for all of you that suffered while being in Scientology. You can now do whatever you want to do. Welcome to your life and your freedom! Hugs to all of you!
It’s good to be out, Donna. It’s good to be out…
I love this picture of you and your families, all free!
I know, huh! I cried looking at that picture.
Looking forward to tonight’s show!! I saw the preview last night and it was great! It seems that Scientology leaders could be charged with kidnapping or false imprisonment of people, even if the people are so indoctrinated that they would deny they were being held against their will. It is mind-boggling that no one in law enforcement has taken on this challenge. But I suppose it is a potentially career-ending challenge, considering the smear tactics and lawsuits that Scientology would use against them.
Love all these genuine smiles!
What…you don’t like the fake SO smiles?
A couple of days ago at The Bunker, all those photos of SO members, not one was smiling, understandably so, just having to be around the worlds biggest being and BFF to the ankle biter….er… I mean breaker, Tomcat, would wipe off any hint of a smile. NOT EVEN 1 fake smile.(“fake”… a word the President claims he just made up). I wonder if the Demented Monster will be smiling tonight. muuwhaaahahaha
Is this what A den of SP’s looks like? I like it! I also am looking forward to tonight’s show. It apparently will be shown at 10 p.m. Eastern time instead of the usual 9 p.m.
This made me laugh…a den, versus a pride or gaggle?! lol
Or a murder of crows…
No, no! An Exultation of Larks – Free At Last!!!
My sort of 3rd Dynamic.
Just learned a new one – a crash of rhinoceroses.
Makes sense I suppose…
Sorry, I got a bit carried away with this, but check these out :
Collective nouns of animals
apes – shrewdness
badgers – cete
bats – colony
bears – sloth (or sleuth)
bees – bike; drift; hive; swarm
birds – colony (roosting in large numbers); dissimulation (small birds); drift (in flight); flight (in flight); flock; parcel; rush (migrating)
boars – singular
bottle-nosed whales – grind
buffalo – gang; herd
butterflies – flight; wing
cats – clowder
cattle – drift; drove (when being driven); herd; mob
chicks – cletch; clutch; brood; peep
choughs – clattering
colts – rag; rake
coots – covert
crows – murder
cubs – litter
curs – cowardness
deer – brace (two); leash (three)
dogs – brace (two); leash (three); pack
dolphins – herd; pod; school
donkeys – herd; pace
doves – dole (or dule)
ducks – paddling (on water); raft (on water)
dunlins – fling (in flight)
elephants – herd
elk – gang
falcons – cast (a pair released after game)
ferrets – business
finches – charm; chirm
fish – run (moving upstream for spawning); school; shoal
foxes – earth; leash (three); skulk
fowl – plump; skein (in flight); trip
frogs – knot
fur seals – harem (belonging to one male)
geese – gaggle; skein (in flight); wedge (in V formation in flight)
giraffes – herd
gnats – cloud
goats – flock; trip
goldfinches – charm
gorillas – band
grouse – brace (two); covey; pack
hares – down; huske; leash (three)
hawks – cast (a pair released after game); kettle (riding a thermal); leash (three)
herons – siege (or sedge, or sege)
horses – harras; span (a team of two); string
hounds – brace (two); cry; kennel; leash (three); mute; sute
insects (flying) – cloud; swarm
jellyfish – smack
kangaroos – flock; mob; troop
kittens – kindle
lapwings – desert
larks – bevy; exaltation; exalting
leopards – leap
lions – pride
magpies – tidings
mallards – sord; sute
martens – richesse
moles – labour
monkeys – troop
mules – barren; span (a team of two); string
nightingales – watch
owls – parliament
oxen – yoke (two yoked together)
partridges – covey
peacocks – muster; ostentation
pheasants – bevy; bouquet (when flushed); nye
pigeons – kit
plovers – congregations; wing
ponies – string
porpoises – herd; pod; school
pups – litter
quails – bevy
rabbits – berry
racehorses – string
ravens – unkindness
rhinoceroses – crash
roes – bevy
rooks – building; parliament
ruffs – hill
seals – plump; spring
sheep – flock; fold; mob; wing
sheldrake – dropping
snipe – walk; wisp
sparrows – host
squirrels – dray (a nest)
starlings – murmuration
swans – wedge (in V formation in flight)
swine – drift; sounder (wild); trip (tame)
teal – spring; string
toads – knot
trout – hover
turkeys – rafter
vipers – nest
waterfowl – bunch; knob (less than 30); raft (on water)
whales – gam; herd; plump; pod
wolves – pack; rout
woodcocks – fall
woodpeckers – descension
That is an impressive list
why is everything turned to different meanings? Is this like a secret language so people on the outside couldn’t figure it out without spending their children’s college funds. You should consider bringing a huge group of Christians to protest outside the full buildings…not the empty. Christians have done much to stop abortions. Do you think they wouldn’t assist you in showing what a cult this is instead of a religion. Nothing better than pissed off Christians trying to get all to convert. I’m not saying that anyone should convert, but getting their backing may be the biggest thing you could do. They’ll march on the basis that they’re getting tax exemption that they don’t deserve. It doesn’t take much to get Christians to protest what they believe is harmful. They don’t always take a good look at themselves but they sure take on a cause if you educate them enough about this. They’re held to high levels of compliance to keep their tax exempt status. This may just tick them off enough to help. Just an FYI
Mike, I love this picture and it truly brings a big smile to my face, as I see good friends enjoying a special time together. So very happy for each one of you.